Oven-Dried-Tomato Stecca

When I was a kid, my mom used to sun-dry racks of tomatoes, fruits, and herbs on her car’s dashboard. I was horrified to be seen in the car with all that going on. It worked, though. And it must have stuck with me because, later, I started mixing semi-dried tomatoes into bread. But I use a different tomato-drying method. This bread is ideal for deep summer when you’re awash in fresh, local tomatoes. I made a version of it when I worked at Avance restaurant in Philadelphia. I had our local farmers send us B-grade heirloom tomatoes that were too imperfect to sell but still delicious: we saved money, reduced waste, and had an incredible bread to show for it. The tomato guts (juice, seeds and pulp) make a fun substitute for some of the water in the dough.